The Canadian Real Estate Association Launches the First-Ever National REALTORS Care® Week in Support of Housing and Shelter-Related Causes Across Canada

OTTAWA, Nov. 18, 2019 /CNW/ - The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has launched REALTORS Care® Week, a national week of volunteer service for REALTORS® from coast to coast. REALTORS Care® Week runs from November 18 through National Housing Day on November 22, 2019. During this period, groups of REALTORS® across Canada will be "sharing the comfort of home" with Canadians in need by engaging in volunteer activities in support of housing and shelter-related causes in their local communities.

"Our REALTOR® community is proud to be doubling down on our year-round efforts in support of housing charities with our first-ever REALTORS Care® Week," says Kimberly French, CREA Regional Director, Atlantic, and Chair of CREA's REALTORS Care® Committee. "We understand the importance of the comfort of home in people's lives and look forward to helping share that comfort with Canadians facing shelter-related challenges."

Throughout the week, CREA will be spreading the word about its members' local REALTORS Care® Week volunteer efforts on their www.REALTORSCare.ca website and social media channels. Highlighted local activities will include the following:

• Members of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board will once again be collecting blankets and warm clothes for the most vulnerable residents across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia as part of the 25^th Annual REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive.
• The Manitoba Real Estate Association (MREA) will be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Manitoba Tipi Mitawa?their affordable homeownership program for First Nations families in partnership with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. On Tuesday, November 19, MREA will be hosting an official launch of the program as a registered charity in Winnipeg.
• Members of the Saint John Real Estate Board will be giving the resource room at the Saint John Newcomers Centre a much-needed makeover, including fresh paint, new lighting, new furniture, and decorative touches. These efforts will turn this space into a cozy home away from home for the newest citizens of Greater Saint John seeking resources on various aspects of life in New Brunswick, including housing.
• Inspired by the charitable works of its members, staff from the Canadian Real Estate Association will be supporting their neighbours at Centre 507 in Ottawa by collecting donations of their clients' most-needed items, assembling "kindness kits," and preparing and serving a comforting chili lunch.
• Members of the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®) will be participating in a double build day at Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta's Silver Springs development on Friday, November 22. This build is part of CREB®'s current three-year, $1 million partnership with Habitat that will provide homeownership opportunities for 32 low-income families who otherwise might not realize this dream.

CREA will also be encouraging its members to take REALTORS Care® Week as an opportunity to reflect on the importance of safe and affordable housing to successful lives and communities and the fact that far too many Canadians face obstacles to achieving this basic human need. To this end, CREA will be sharing a series of three blog posts featuring video interviews with experts on housing issues, including Michael Braithwaite of Blue Door Shelters, Shanan Spencer-Brown of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, and Michel Tremblay, Senior Vice-President of Policy and Innovation at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. These blog posts and videos will be published on CREA's blog, www.CREACafe.ca, throughout the week.

About the Canadian Real Estate Association

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is one of Canada's largest single-industry associations. CREA works on behalf of more than 130,000 REALTORS® who contribute to the economic and social well-being of communities across Canada. Together they advocate for property owners, buyers and sellers.

SOURCE Canadian Real Estate Association